Preparing a contract as a self-employed paid carer

Posted on 06/04/2017

When you’re working as a self-employed paid carer, or in the
process of setting up your own business, one area that you need to consider is
having a contract that you can use with your clients. This is an essential
piece of paperwork and should be customised to suit each client’s needs, with
both parties agreeing to terms and conditions.

The reason that a contract is so important is that it
protects both the service user and the paid carer. It outlines exactly the kind
of work that will be undertaken and the manner in which it will be done.

Here is a list of things that should be included in any
contract between a paid carer and their clients:

Details of agreed work

The type of work should be clearly laid out so there is no
confusion between both parties. This prevents you, as a paid carer, from
undertaking tasks that you are not comfortable, willing, or qualified to do. It
helps to manage expectations on both sides and helps to form the basis of a
relationship between service user and paid carer. This could also include work
that will not be carried out if there are specific tasks you wish to exclude.

Payment

It’s important to ensure that payment is agreed upon by both
parties. Having this in the contract clearly makes it easy for the service user
to set a budget and for the paid carer to ensure a regular income.

Hours

The days and times of regular work should be included too.
This means that the service user knows when to expect their visits and the paid
carer can plan their workload. This should also include the duration of each
visit and the time spent with the client.

Responsibilities

There should be information about the responsibilities of
the paid carer and the service user in relation to each other. This can include
things like adhering to a care plan, having certain policies in place,
safeguarding, risk assessment procedures and so on. It should also include what
will happen if the paid carer is off sick or on holiday, such as notice given.

Particulars

There may be some specific requirements or requests that are
outside of standard terms and these should all be included within the contract
where relevant. The more that is covered in this document, the less likelihood
there is of any confusion arising in expectations between the two parties.

Ending the contract

There should also be details about how to end the contract.
This might include an initial period of, for example, a month where either
party can choose to end the contract if it’s not right for them. Past this initial
period, there should be details of notice periods to be given if either party
wants to end the contract.